Active House brings a

consumer approach to house

building, always considering

energy and the environment

CREATING VALUE FOR YOU

ACTIVE HOUSE BUILDERS

In urban areas, up to 90% of people’s time is spent indoors1. Considering the impact of indoor air quality, daylight and the thermal environment on productivity, health and well-being, this is essential, and increasingly asked by occupants, to design buildings integrating both sustainability and comfort aspects. Active House designed buildings do exactly that, creating healthier and more comfortable lives for their occupants with a minimal climate impact.

1 “Promoting actions for healthy indoor air (IAIAQ)”, 2011

FORWARD LIVING

There is a GLOBAL POTENTIAL for energy savings ofin existing and new buildings

50-90%

90%Up to of a person’s life

is spent INDOORS

USD 3.5 BILLION per year

DAMPNESS AND MOULD IN HOMES at

A US study estimated the cost of asthma induced by

$by as

much as

17%or REDUCE them by as much as

12.5%

Buildings can IMPROVE

productivity and performance

What motivates Europeans to renovate their homes:

75% TO SAVE energy costs

TO IMPROVE well-being,

73% Europeans are

40%when they live in a

more likely to have asthma

DAMP ORMOULDY

HOME

Europeans live in84 000 000

DAMP ANDUNHEALTHYBUILDINGS

BUILDINGS

THAT GIVE MORE

THAN THEY TAKE

International Energy Agency, 2014

“Promoting actions for healthy indoor air (IAIAQ)”, 2011

Carnegie Mellon/CBPD Building Investment Decision Support (BIDS), ‘High Performance Buildings,’ 2004 and 2012

Public health and economic impact of dampness and mold. Mudarri D, Fisk WJ, 2007

Healthy Homes Barometer 2017, Fraunhofer IBP 2017

Healthy Homes Barometer 2016, VELUX

Fraunhofer IBP 2017

Active House is a global network where to share and find news, knowledge and experiences. Active House Alliance is a non-profit organisation of industry partners working towards a holistic view of buildings, based on these three guiding principles: comfort, energy and the environment.

The Active House principles have been applied for over 10 years to many building types: single-family and multi-family residential, social housing, offices, schools and more. Both in new constructions or retrofits, and applied in various climate zones.

These buildings have been real-life-tested and proven efficient and comfortable, with many users across the globe providing testimonials of their positive experience.

Active House principles: putting the user at the centre

COMFORT

ENERGY

ENVIRONMENT

DAYLIGHT

THERMALCOMFORT

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

CO2

EMISSIONS

RESOURCES CONSERVATION

LIFECYCLE

RENEWABLE

ENERGY NEEDS

ENERGY EFFICIENC Y

MULTIPLE TYPOLOGIES

AN ACTIVE HOUSE...

In the Active House vision, focus is put on the occupants. The building creates benefits for its users, and delivers a range of benefits for developers, architects and all real-estate professionals.

An Active House builds upon the knowledge and competences of older buildings’ principles and maximises the use of passive technologies such as natural ventilation and solar gains with quality craftsmanship, going one step further by having a user-centric focus. It goes beyond energy performance with comfort aspects (air quality, heating, daylight ) added as a core focus.

ACTIVE HOUSES

BENEFITTING ALL

STAKEHOLDERS

INVOLVED Provides a high indoor air quality (natural ventilation, windows, CO2

levels controlled)

Focuses on a good thermal environment:

balanced temperature and humidity levels,

insulation

Pays attention to material: paint,

appliances

Has a dynamic and

flexible building envelope

Has a minimal pollution impact

(during construction and use)

Saves water

Adapts to all seasons

Is smart-ready (to include building

management / home automation)

Follows sustainable

construction/renovation steps

(material choice, reducing construction waste,

recycling)

BENEFITS FOR THE USERS / OCCUPANTS:

BENEFITS FOR DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS CONSTRUCTING ACTIVE HOUSE BUILDINGS:

Active House buildings demonstrate that the vision of comfortable and low-energy buildings can be achieved in an effective and reproducible way. The Alliance facilitates cooperation between all interested parties and supports developers in their journey towards the Active House label.

COMPREHENSIVE COMFORT including thermal and visual comfort, health, daylight and well-being

Increased PRODUCTIVITYat work and learning made easier for children Increased

MARKET VALUE

SUSTAINABLE-LIVING

FRESHER AIR which equals better sleep

FEEDBACK LOOP Developers focus on the user in a holistic way through the building design, and can gain feedback once people occupy the building

INCREASED SALE VALUE

SUSTAINABILITY

The products, technology and competences areAVAILABLE OR AT HAND

Being part of a dedicated NETWORK OF PROFESSIONALS

Access to LIKE-MINDED SUPPLIERS and manufacturers with the same goals

KNOWLEDGE-SHARINGGlobal international leading edge

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE ACTIVE HOUSE ALLIANCE: open-source educational and support material available and visibility of the projects

THIRD-PARTY VERIFICATION of the house design by an external engineer / expert

HOUSE MODELLING and stimulating reports from an early stage of design

THIRD-PARTY VERIFICATION of the house design by an external engineer / expert

MORE NATURAL LIGHT

Energy and water SAVINGSEASY MANAGEMENT

of the building’s functions

LABEL

The Active House label

is a worldwide quality

stamp of assurance

for comfortable and

sustainable buildings,

evaluated in accordance

with the Active House

specifications and

meeting the minimum

requirements for comfort,

energy efficiency and the

environment. You do not

need to be an Active House

member to get the label.

The Active House Alliance has a toolbox to support building professionals in their journey to developing Active Houses.

Learn about the parameters Identify the design based on the Active House concept, the 9 parameters and the qualitative questions.

Webinar in the calculation tool Take 2 x 4-hour webinars in the Active House online tool.

Determine the levels of the project Decide with the client the ambition of the project - which level to obtain.

Tools and measurements methods Use the approved tools to evaluate your project in accordance with the current standard for the individual parameters.

Generate data Calculate the levels for all 9 parameters in accordance with the current standard and answer the qualitative questions.

Enter data for the project Enter your data in the Active House tool and calculate the radar.

Procedure for approval of the project Submit your report to the Active House Alliance to obtain the right to use the label.

Obtain and use the label After approval you receive a diploma and can use the Active House label to promote the specific project.

HOW YOU CAN GET SUPPORT

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

FROM THE ACTIVE

HOUSE ALLIANCE?

A guide to the label is available,

with a step-by-step introduction to the

process.

In order to be labelled as an Active House, the performance of the house based on the Active House calculation tools will have to be assessed, reporting a balanced focus on daylight, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, energy and water use, as well as a lifecycle analysis of the material used.

• Training is offered in the format of webinars and case studies, videos and a regular newsletter.

• Additional resources: specification book, guidelines, and more are available for download on the website.

• Award: builders, developers, architects and other real-estate professionals can submit their sustainable building projects, which will be evaluated based on the Active House vision. The winner will be awarded with an Active House label and presented on the website as well as during events.

• Networking material: a list of verifiers is available, and a list of certified and recommended products will be available soon.

• Membership: members can participate in internal workshops and knowledge-sharing activities, training activities regarding specifications, as well as in the development of the Alliance.

The Active House radar shows the building performance based on calculated and measured data. Energy calculations are based on national building codes.

4

3

2

1

COMFORT

ENERGY

ENVIRONM

ENT

THERMALENVIRONMENT

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

SUSTAINABLECONSTRUCTION

ENERGY DEMAND

ENERGY SUPPLY

PRIMARYENERGY

FRESH WATER

DAYLIGHT

ENVIRONMENTAL LOAD

ACTIVE HOUSE CENTENNIAL PARK: A DEVELOPER CASE STUDY

Architectural and technological design team: Superkul, HomeCAD, HVAC Designs, Building Knowledge, Quail Engineering, Home Technology, Velux Denmark, Great Gulf

Strategic partners: VELUX Group, Active House Alliance (Europe and Canada), Roxul - Rockwool EU, the Danish Technical Institute

Network of supporters: H+ME Technology, HUBER, Lennox, Rogers, the Mircom Group

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Project type: New construction – Mass production style, low-rise construction, sub-division

Use: Single-detached residential house

Client: Private home-owners – First inhabitants: the Ibbotson family, testing the house for a 6-months period

Year: 2016

http://greatgulf.com/activehouse/

The world’s first labelled Active House

COMFORT

The building performance analysis over the course of the Ibbotson family’s experience at the Centennial Park Active House brought to light many exciting findings.

• The air quality sensor monitoring the CO2 data levels throughout the home showed “high quality” 95% of the time. Compared to the US Department of Energy Health’s home review of High Performance Homes which shows homes achieving “high quality” air less than 50% of the time, this is a substantial improvement.

• The home makes use of innovative ventilation systems. The installation of the Energy Recovery Ventilation fully ducted system ensured fresh air circulation was maximized throughout the house.

• The thermal performance analysis noted that on the coldest days (-10 to -15°C), there was no more than a 3 to 4°C difference between the walls, windows and room temperature. On a cold day, this creates a comfortable living condition where the Ibbotson children had the ability to play right up against the windows.

• Based on the orientation of the Centennial Park Active House in sub-division setting, it was noted from an onsite daylight analysis that some rooms performed well-over the estimated level initially reported in the preliminary daylight analysis. The neighbour’s roof lines did not block the light from above and all around as per the preliminary virtual modelling which considered the worst-case scenario for neighbouring homes.

NOW WE TALK MORE AND MORE ABOUT BUILDINGS’ COMFORT IN NORTH-AMERICA AS WELL AS GLOBALLY, ACTIVE HOUSE WAS A BIG PUSH TOWARDS THAT.

Christopher Wein, President Great Gulf Residential

Quietness

More space

Better design

Brighter rooms

A healthy environment to play

Connectivity

Less worry

Fresher airENERGY The first goal was to reduce the energy load of the house with passive systems. This was accomplished by using the Huber Wall System and Roxul Insulation, that also create thermal comfort and increased air-tightness of the house.

• With cross ventilation, a “stack effect” was created by the positioning of the main floor windows and the Velux skylights located above.

• A thorough examination of the mechanical systems and appliances of the house took place. The Lennox equipment was selected for its energy efficiency as well as results on the occupants’ comfort and ease of use. LED lighting was chosen as it created low loads for lighting throughout the house, when lighting was required in the dusk and during evening hours.

• Even with nearly twice as many heat days during the summer of 2016, then modelled by the Hot 2000 software, the Centennial Park Active House only used 50% of the air conditioning load compared to a similar home in the neighbourhood. As this was a production-built home, the house was designed keeping in mind potential future installation of onsite renewable energy, including a Tesla battery back-up system within the home.

• A further decision was made to buy offset on-grid renewable energy and natural gas for the home.

ENVIRONMENTThe wood structure of the Centennial Park Active House was manufactured at the H+ME Technology facility, a subsidiary company of Great Gulf with CNC equipment.

• This house was built to stand the test of time and allow for true recycling of many of the home components.

• After the Life Cycle Analysis modelling was completed, it was noted that 89.5% of the material used for the construction of the house had recycled content, and over 75% of the construction waste was diverted for recycling.

COMFORT

ENERGY

ENVIRONM

ENT

THERMALENVIRONMENT

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

ENERGY DEMAND

ENERGY SUPPLY

PRIMARYENERGY

FRESH WATER

DAYLIGHT

ENVIRONMENTAL LOAD

SUSTAINABLECONSTRUCTION

Design Lived in

ACTIVE HOUSE & GREAT GULF, PARTNERS IN INNOVATIONThe story behind the partnership

Discovering about the Active House vision on an internal European flight, Great Gulf’s President, COO of Great Gulf Low rise and President of Home Technology Tad Putyra thought this approach was missing from the North-American market, especially the focus put on the home-owner comfort. After first exchanges with the Active House team in Europe, Great Gulf now sits on the Board of Advisory Committee and of Directors and has participated in the launch of the Alliance in Canada. Architects and mechanical engineers received new training and education. The Active House principles, until then mainly based on European standards, were adapted to other markets.

CENTENNIAL PARK WALL CROSS SECTION

CENTENNIAL PARK ACTIVE HOUSE WAS DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE VELUX GROUP, ACTIVE HOUSE ALLIANCE (EUROPE AND CANADA), ROXUL - ROCKWOOL EU AND THE DANISH TECHNICAL INSTITUTE , TO STRENGTHEN KNOWLEDGE-SHARING. WE ARE NOW DEVELOPING A TESTING AND MONITORING FACILITY IN ONTARIO FOR MECHANICAL SYSTEMS WHERE WE WILL INCLUDE AN ACTIVE HOUSE TO CREATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROTOTYPE FOR HEALTHY-LIVING.

Great Gulf Executive Director Sustainability & Building

Science Shaun Joffe

1/2” GYPSUM WALLBOARD

1” AIR GAP

MASONRY BRICK

VENEER

WALL STUD FRAMING 2x6

WALL GAVITY INSULATION (R-24 ROXUL)

ZIP SYSTEM TAPE INTALLED OVER ALL PANEL SEAMS

INTALL ZIP SYSTEM R-SHEATHING - R - 10

The Alliance was established in 2011, following a roundtable in 2009 which set a first vision for the Alliance and several processes which put the spotlight on the acceleration of climate change and the need to use resources more carefully.

Today the Alliance is a global partnership of more than 40 knowledge institutions, designers, engineers, industries and developers. The members have tested the Active House principles and specifications in full-scale demonstration projects, more than 75 in 20 countries from 2009 to 2018, and established an Active House label in 2016 for the broad market on housing and smaller buildings. There are 6 national alliances, multiplying the membership into a global community of partners who aim to scale sustainable cities.

secretariat@activehouse.info www.activehouse.info

AUSTRIA

BELARUS

BELGIUM

BULGARIA

CANADA

CHINA

DENMARK

GERMANY

HUNGARY

ITALY

LITHUANIA

MALAYSIA

NORWAY

POLAND

PORTUGAL

RUSSIA

THE NETHERLANDS

UKRAINE

UNITED KINGDOM

USA

7720

ACTIVE HOUSES

COUNTRIESIN

31

14MONITORED

WITHLABEL

THE ACTIVE HOUSE ALLIANCE

IN DETAILS

ACTIVE HOUSE MEMBERS:

KNOWLEGDE CENTERS:

PARTNER ORGANISATIONS:

NATIONAL ALLIANCES: